Marilyn Monroe is shown on set in the 1953 film, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." The dress is accessorized with matching pink opera-length gloves that were placed high on her arms to create a continuous straight line extending from neckline. In her personal life, Monroe didn't wear this much jewelry.

He had no intention of writing about Marilyn Monroe — a subject he thought had been done endlessly — until watching a “Project Runway” episode when the contestants had to create a look inspired by Monroe, Audrey Hepburn or Jackie Kennedy. “I realized no one had ever done a book just about Mondroe’s style, but there she was, considered an icon,” Nickens said in a phone interview from Los Angeles.

Nickens collaborated with George Zeno, an illustrator who has spent more than 50 years collecting photos and memorabilia about Monroe, to write “Marilyn in Fashion, The Enduring Influence of Marilyn Monroe,” (Running Press, July). Using photos, her film work and press materials, Nickens and Zeno were able to chronicle the star’s style evolution from her humble beginnings as Norma Jeane Baker through her careful study of modeling and acting, to her transformation into Marilyn Monroe, actress and movie star. We’re freshly aware of her on the 50th anniversary of her death. She was just 36 when she died on Aug. 6, 1962.

One of the reasons Monroe looked phenomenal in photographs was that she carefully learned the tools of the modeling trade, Nickens said. “She applied herself at Blue Book as if she were on scholarship at Harvard.” She began modeling as a teen and her agent was among the first people to refine her look, teaching her to pose and lightening her hair. “She got much more work as a blond,” he said.